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Thread: Wood indentification help ... maple?

  1. #1

    Wood indentification help ... maple?

    Hi, Can anyone tell me what kind of wood this is? not sure if it's hard or soft maple. growth rings vary, but most are 1/16" or so, all the way up to about 1/4".

    I got a bunch of 2" thick 8-9' long slabs, Apparently they've been sitting around drying for a long time, or so i was told.
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  2. #2
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    Not sure about the raw material, but on the cut pieces, I am 99.99% sure that's honey locust. (well, maybe 85% sure).

  3. #3
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    deffinatly honey locust
    14x48 custom 2hp 9gear lathe
    9 inch pre 1940 craftsman lathe
    36 inch 1914 Sydney bandsaw (BEAST)
    Wood in every shelf and nook and cranny,,, seriously too much wood!

  4. #4
    Thanks alot folks. How do you know? coloring of the wood? The bark is quite brown, all the pics of honey locust bark ive looked up have been grey in coloration.

    I've heard of such a tree, but never really seen it up close. I'm in Mass, and I don't think its native to the area.

    Was going to use these for making guitar bodies. Doesnt seem that hard, i can sort of scratch it with my nail.

  5. #5
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    its a very hard wood once you start to really work with it. anyone who has worked with it for a decent amount of time will instantly recognize it by color and by the growth rings
    14x48 custom 2hp 9gear lathe
    9 inch pre 1940 craftsman lathe
    36 inch 1914 Sydney bandsaw (BEAST)
    Wood in every shelf and nook and cranny,,, seriously too much wood!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
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    It looks like sushi grade salmon.

    Pretty stuff, regardless. How easily did it handle on your bandsaw?

  7. #7
    havent tackled it yet with the bandsaw.... I hacked off that chunk with a handsaw so I could take a look at the endgrain.

    once i get my planer back running ill send a narrow board through. The widest slab is something like 40" wide, but i have a couple that are right around 15"

  8. #8
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    BE WARNED: The sawdust, especially the sanding dust, from Honeylocust can be extremely fine... almost like flour. WEAR A RESPIRATOR... not just a dust mask!!!

    Regarding recognition... honeylocust has a unique pattern in the grain between the rings, where it looks like the wiring of a circuit board. Very distinct. This pattern is not seen if the boards are quartersawn, however.
    Last edited by Tom Hammond; 05-13-2012 at 12:30 AM.

  9. #9
    Hey, thanks for the warning.

    btw, another forum thinks that this is osage orange.

  10. #10
    I don't think it looks anything like osage orange.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Depending on the cut, osage orange does have some similarities to this... but they are distinctive enough you can tell the difference immediately.

    http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/person...e%20orange.htm

    6687.JPG
    Last edited by Tom Hammond; 05-13-2012 at 3:42 PM.

  12. #12
    hi thanks for that link, alot of good info on that hobbyhouse site.

  13. #13
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    It's not maple of any kind. I agree with the Osage Orange or Black Locust. Maple grain is much less pronounced.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
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  14. #14
    Join Date
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    I"d say osage orange as well. Fast grower (growth rings here are about 3/8"). I cut this tree down about 10 years ago. The color seems to mellow with age.


  15. #15
    hahahahahaha. Perfect.

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